Learning on the Fly: UAD 3.6 Success Story

Learning on the job can happen at any stage of a career. As the most significant change to the appraisal industry in nearly two decades, Uniform Appraisal Dataset (UAD) 3.6 requires residential appraisers to enter structured property data into a dynamic report rather than completing a fixed form for each property type. UAD 3.6 becomes mandatory for Fannie Mae® and Freddie Mac® appraisal submissions through UCDP® on November 2. Although Federal Housing Administration (FHA) has not set an adoption deadline, early UAD 3.6 assignments are giving experienced appraisers an opportunity to learn the new dataset and work through challenges as they arise.

In Episode 7 of ValTALK, Valligent Chief Appraiser and Veros SVP of Valuations Jeff Hogan sits down with David Dees, certified residential appraiser and owner of B&M Property Appraisals, LLC, and Jake Lew, co-founder and CEO of Aivre. The three revisit Dees’ completed FHA UAD 3.6 appraisal and shared a candid account of what made the submission a success.

The assignment came to Dees through Valligent. He brought 23 years of residential appraisal experience to the property, although it was his first report using UAD 3.6. After he completed the appraisal in his original software, a technical issue prevented the report from moving through the submission process. Valligent COO George Paquette and Hogan connected Dees with Lew and the Aivre team, who helped Dees transfer the report into Aivre’s UAD 3.6 workflow and complete the submission. Aivre is an AI-enabled, cloud-based appraisal platform designed around UAD 3.6. With the FHA and a lender awaiting the appraisal, the group worked together to keep the purchase transaction moving.

Lew compares the industry transition to a Formula One driver getting behind the wheel of a different car. The controls have changed, but the driver still knows how to drive. UAD 3.6 introduces a different way to collect, structure, and deliver property information. Yet, appraisers bring the market knowledge and professional judgment they have developed throughout their careers. Dees has gone on to complete additional UAD 3.6 reports. Seeing him work through the first assignment encouraged Hogan to complete a live UAD 3.6 appraisal of his own. The Aivre team is continuing to gather feedback. Taken together, their experiences make this a success story, grounded in appraisal expertise, hands-on AMC support, and technology that responds to the people using it.